The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has given six new speed detection devices to the Ghana Police Service's Accra Central Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to enforce speed limit legislation in the city, with help from the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
The TruCAM II gadget is the ultimate traffic and speed enforcement laser device with a video that reveals the license plate number and gives a high-resolution image.
Other traffic offences that the gadget can detect include following too closely, aggressive driving, abuse of allocated lanes, inattentive driving, impeding traffic, and seatbelt violations, among others.
In Accra, the MTTD has received new speed detecting equipment to enforce speed limits. The Metropolitan Chief Executive of Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, spoke at a brief ceremony at Accra City Hall to formally present the items to the Police. She said the donations would go a long way toward ensuring professionalism in enforcing speed limits in Accra, especially in light of the recent spike in road crashes.
"Today, the American Medical Association (AMA) is here with its worldwide partners, the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), to show our commitment to reducing the avoidable loss of life on our roads. "It is critical to help the Police MTTD with gadgets so that they can appropriately and professionally police speed in Accra during this season when road crashes are common," she added.
She went on to say that the AMA Road Safety Report found that recorded road traffic deaths climbed by 32 percent from 103 in 2019 to 136 in 2020, indicating the need to strictly enforce speeding laws to combat the problem.
"Road collision and injury data reveal an alarming picture of the situation of road crashes in Accra...
This supports the global projection of a rise in road traffic collisions and deaths over the next ten years unless governments take immediate, concentrated action to halt the carnage."
In Accra, the MTTD has received new speed detecting equipment to enforce speed limits.
Madam Elizabeth Sackey urged the police to enforce traffic laws without fear of retaliation. The Mayor also thanked stakeholders for their help in spreading awareness and enforcing laws to make roads safer for everyone, and urged the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA) not to issue roadworthy certificates to unfit vehicles in order to protect drivers, passengers, and other road users.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ofosu Agyemang, Director-General of the Police Service's Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), extended his gratitude to the AMA, BIGRS, and their partners for their efforts in ensuring road safety.
"It's also worth noting that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety have been collaborating closely with the Police MTTD to reduce the number of fatalities on Ghana's roads."